Cline vs Crush: pricing, features and which to choose

Cline is an open source coding agent from Cline Bot Inc. The project was created in July 2024 and is distributed through a VS Code extension, CLI, desktop app, JetBrains plugin, and SDK. Its GitHub repository lists the Apache License 2.0 and more than 70,000 stars. Cline’s July 2025 funding announcement says the company raised $32 million across seed and Series A rounds. The agent is built for developers who want to inspect code, edit files, run commands, and choose model providers. The same core supports editor work, terminal sessions, desktop use, and embedded applications. The client is free for individual developers, while AI inference can use Cline credits, ClinePass, or a developer’s own provider credentials.

Cline reads project files, writes code, runs terminal commands, uses a browser, and works with external tools. A typical task can begin in Plan mode, where the developer reviews an approach, then move to Act mode for implementation. The interface asks for approval before actions, while auto-approve can reduce interruptions. File edits appear as diffs, and checkpoints support undoing agent changes. Project rules in .clinerules files describe coding standards, architecture, testing, and deployment conventions. MCP servers add tools for databases, APIs, and infrastructure. Cline also supports plugins, skills, messaging connections, scheduled tasks, headless automation, and multi-agent workflows. The CLI supports interactive and headless operation, making the same agent available for local development, scripting, and CI work.

Cline still requires review of generated edits, shell commands, model output, checkpoints, and provider availability. Telemetry is enabled by default in the VS Code and JetBrains extensions, desktop app, and CLI, although users can turn it off. Requests made through Cline or ClinePass can include prompts and model responses in Cline’s handling of those providers, while requests using other providers go to those providers under their policies. Cursor is a closer commercial editor competitor, GitHub Copilot is closely tied to GitHub workflows, and Windsurf is another agentic coding product. Cline suits developers who want Apache-licensed code, provider choice, local runtimes, and explicit action approval. Teams wanting a managed editor subscription with bundled model access may prefer Cursor, Copilot, or Windsurf.

Crush is a Go terminal coding agent made by Charmbracelet, the company behind Bubble Tea and other terminal tools. The repository was created in May 2025 and has grown to more than 28,000 stars on GitHub. It runs on macOS, Linux, Windows through PowerShell or WSL, Android, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and NetBSD. The application is free to install, but it does not include unlimited model inference. Charm lists Hyper as its official subscription provider, while users can connect hosted APIs or local models. That split matters for budgeting because Crush is the client, while the selected provider normally bills model usage. The project uses the FSL-1.1-MIT license, with each version converting to MIT on its second anniversary.

The normal workflow begins in a project directory, where Crush opens an interactive terminal interface and asks for a model or API key. Users can maintain multiple sessions and preserve context while switching models. Language Server Protocol integration supplies code intelligence, while Model Context Protocol support adds tools through HTTP, stdio, or SSE servers. The agent can inspect files, propose edits, and run commands, with configuration controlling permissions. Crush supports OpenAI-compatible and Anthropic-compatible custom providers, alongside Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, OpenRouter, Bedrock, Vertex AI, and Groq. Its security documentation says crushrc is trusted shell code and warns that shell substitutions in crush.json run during configuration loading. Configuration review therefore belongs in the normal deployment process.

Crush combines LSP context, MCP extensibility, sessions, local-model support, and broad operating-system coverage in one terminal client. Its cost and model quality depend on external providers, while its FSL license restricts some competing commercial redistribution before conversion. Configuration can execute shell code, so teams need permission discipline and repository review. Aider focuses on repository editing with an open-source license, Claude Code is Anthropic's first-party coding agent, and GitHub Copilot CLI is more closely tied to GitHub accounts and Copilot plans. Those products offer clearer single-vendor operating models. Pick Crush if endpoint flexibility, local inference, and terminal portability matter more than one bundled subscription or conventional open-source licensing.